Who is cursed; who is blessed?

“The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.”
-Proverbs 3:33

I think we wish this were more true. Or let me put it this way – I think that we believe this is less true than we would like. We so often see evil people prosper and wish something would happen to make them suffer.

So often we have heard God’s justice questioned – “What kind of God would allow this to happen?” some will ask. “Why would God allow me to suffer?” Indeed, for a time at least, it does seem that “his sun rise[s] on the evil and on the good, and [he] sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

I wonder what we would say if we saw as God sees. I wonder if we would make the same claims if we understood as He does. We howl at the pain in our lives, little thinking of the greater vision of what is happening. A dog who is undergoing surgery does not realize the surgery will save his life; he only knows the pain of the moment. Are we like that? Without the fullness of time to show us the meaning of it all, do we wonder about justice for the moment?

In this moment, I may compare myself to someone I saw on television, and I will think, “I am a good person.” God sees my life as a whole and holds it against His perfect standard. He sees my pride, lust, arrogance, hatred, anger, and greed. He sees all of that. If it were laid before on a table, surely I would cry out like Isaiah did when he saw Jesus, realizing immediately that I deserve death.

He can see the dark currents that my sin has set off in my life. He can see the sadness and regret that has clouded my heart. He can see the loneliness caused when my sin drove others away. You may only see the car I drive, the home I have, my job, and my wife, but He sees more.

He can see how these sins have tainted everything.

And He can see the end, when all will be judged for their own actions and motives. If a murderer is arrested, do we complain that he has not received his punishment before the trial even starts? No, of course not. We wait until the trial is done, and then judge the justice of the sentence and how it is carried out. In the same way, our trial has not yet been, and justice is coming swiftly. It may not be here yet, but the wicked will find their just end.

God sees that too, and so He sees the justice that will come. It is a justice that I may fear, for I know my own heart, except for Jesus.

It is true – we all deserve death, but it is the righteousness of Christ that brings the ultimately blessing. For those who repent and believe in Him, we will find the blessing that comes with His righteousness, not our own. We will find life. In love He gave us the gift of His Blood, and that Blood can pay for our sins.

The blessings I gain all come from Him. In the best ways my wife and I are one are because we are one around Him. We have been blessed already by His forgiveness, and we will find blessings still to come.